How long does a 1,000-word speech take?

About 6 min 40 s at 150 words a minute. At a slower 120 words a minute it is about 8 min 20 s.

How many words is a 5-minute speech?

About 750 words at 150 words a minute, and about 600 at 120.

How many words is a 10-minute speech?

About 1,500 words at 150 words a minute.

What is a normal speaking pace?

150 words a minute is a common figure for conversational speech, with 120 on the slow side and 180 on the fast side. Your own pace varies with nerves, the material and the room. Read a minute of your script aloud against a clock to find yours.

Is my script uploaded?

No. The words are counted in your browser and the script is gone when you close the tab. There is no account and nothing is sent anywhere.

Free tools

Speech time calculator

Divide the word count by your speaking pace. At 150 words a minute, a 1,000-word speech takes about 6 min 40 s. Paste a script or type a word count for your own figure.

The calculator runs entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and nothing you type leaves the page.

Script (optional)

Word count

Used when the script box is empty.

Pace: 150 words a minute

About 6 min 40 s

1,000 words at 150 words a minute.

Words that fill each length at 150 words a minute
1 minute	150 words
2 minutes	300 words
3 minutes	450 words
5 minutes	750 words
10 minutes	1,500 words
15 minutes	2,250 words
20 minutes	3,000 words
30 minutes	4,500 words

Words divided by pace. Pauses, slides and demonstrations add time the count cannot see. To rehearse it, paste the script into the free teleprompter and set the same pace there.

Cutting a script to length

Work backwards from the slot. A three-minute video at 150 words a minute has room for about 450 words, and fewer if you pause for a demonstration or a slide. Cutting a script before you record is quicker than cutting the recording after.

Questions about speech length

How long does a 1,000-word speech take?: About 6 min 40 s at 150 words a minute. At a slower 120 words a minute it is about 8 min 20 s.
How many words is a 5-minute speech?: About 750 words at 150 words a minute, and about 600 at 120.
How many words is a 10-minute speech?: About 1,500 words at 150 words a minute.
What is a normal speaking pace?: 150 words a minute is a common figure for conversational speech, with 120 on the slow side and 180 on the fast side. Your own pace varies with nerves, the material and the room. Read a minute of your script aloud against a clock to find yours.
Is my script uploaded?: No. The words are counted in your browser and the script is gone when you close the tab. There is no account and nothing is sent anywhere.

From script to finished video

Rooster records you to a script with a teleprompter in its recorder, transcribes the take on your Mac, and lets you cut the video by editing the transcript. Read more about Rooster’s teleprompter, or you can try Rooster free.